Character Card V2 — what changed, and how to find examples on GitHub
I’m not the spec author—I just have to read the format to ship tools. Here’s my “good enough to stop stepping on rakes” guide for first-time V2 readers: enough to know what to expect and where to read the source of truth.
What V2 is roughly trying to do
Treat V1 as “the first workable cut.” V2 adds clearer structure (field layering, extension hooks) so different clients and tools fight less. You don’t need to memorize every key, but expect this: the same card may behave slightly differently across client versions—trust the docs for your app.
Still PNG + JSON
The usual shape is unchanged: JSON inside a PNG. V2 changes how the JSON is organized, not the idea of “a character card.” If you’ve read What is a character card?, think of V2 as a clearer table of contents for the same booklet.
How to search on GitHub
Do it like a checklist:
- Open GitHub and search
character card v2ortavern card spec. - Prefer repos whose README explains fields and that ship a license.
- When you see sample JSON, cross-check the author’s notes: required vs optional / extension.
- Before you fork or copy examples, read the license (MIT, CC, etc.)—the internet isn’t “all free to reuse.”
Different repos may name the same idea differently; compare field tables instead of memorizing one blog post.
Two easy-to-miss footguns
- Encoding and escaping: one bad quote in hand-edited JSON can brick the whole card. Validate after edits.
- Compatibility: before you “ship,” confirm your frontend (e.g. Silly Tavern) supports the field set you used. The safest loop is: small change → import → chat a few turns to verify.
See also
- Silly Tavern character card fields (series index)
- From a template to a usable card
- How to write a more usable character card
On macOS, manage, preview, and edit Silly Tavern–style PNG character cards with Sillycard. I won’t make compliance calls for you—but keeping cards as normal files makes revisions much easier. Product details: App Store and in-app copy win.